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Chicken Antics
Our poor little Betty White is terrified of the older hens, and probably should be. Ruby and Tweedledum charge her whenever they enter a space and spot her. They usually just strike once and move on. There’s not been much feather loss, and there has been no blood, but Betty will see one of the big birds coming and hide her head in a corner. When the big ladies leave the run to lay eggs or go into their backyard, Betty and Penny go to town on the “Flock Block”. (Purina Flock Block is a whole grain enrichment supplement for chickens, other poultry and game birds. Encourages natural pecking instincts…
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Chicken Lays an Egg
I waited a long time for Tweedledum to lay her egg. She was being fussy about the nest box lid being open and the camera being up in her grill. You can’t see the egg, and there’s the annoying noise of the camera lens focusing…. but it’s pretty clear once she’s finished! Tweedledum is RIR X Buff Orpington, and of all our chickens, she likes her privacy best. Maybe I’ll catch another in the act and get a better angle.
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Chicken Updates
It has been so hot and humid — yet with no rain — here in Raleigh that I’ve bottomed out on summer morale. I’m doing what I can to keep the plants from drying out and the chickens from overheating, but mostly I’m waiting on rain. This afternoon we finally had a short shower with more supposedly on the way. It’s expensive to keep watering the plants, but many of the perennials and shrubs are in their first year and need the extra water to get established. We had three days of a heat index over 100°F, so I directed a box fan into the chicken run and kept the…
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Resolutions for 2017 – Homegrown Hospitatlity
When I was in Romania during the summer of 2002, we spent a week out in the country side of Șăulia, where I was so impressed that the homes grew fruit trees along the road side as a means of showing hospitality to travelers. Over the last few years of gardening, I’ve had a growing desire to make the garden more hospitable. I’ve moved a rosemary bush down to the curb, and grow a patch of sunflowers this summer to cheer up the neighbors. This fall we planted two apple trees down by the curb as well, and I’m hoping in time they will produce fruit to share. My second…
